New in City and County Government

Published 5:05 pm, Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Mayor Julián Castro led the charge for passage of the Pre-K 4 SA initiative in 2012. The program will start with the 2013-14 school year.

Mayor Julián Castro led the charge for passage of the Pre-K 4 SA initiative in 2012. The program will start with the 2013-14 school year.

Photo: Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News

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August marks the beginning of the inaugural year Pre-K 4 SA, a program that's expected to educate 22,400 4-year-olds in its first eight years.

San Antonio voters in November 2012 approved increasing the local sales tax by 1/8-cent to 8.25 percent — the maximum allowed under state law, to pay for the initiative championed by Mayor Julián Castro.

Once the program is fully established, it will comprise four centers of excellence around the city in addition to classrooms on existing school campuses.

The increased sales tax went into effect on April 1, making San Antonio the last large Texas municipality to adopt the maximum rate.

Of the initial eight-year term of the sales tax dedicated to Pre-K 4 SA, it's expected to raise $32 million annually, which will be combined with state and federal funds from participating school districts.

In an op-ed piece published on New Year's Eve 2012, Castro wrote that Pre-K 4 SA and several other city programs will help change the landscape of local education — even if the city and school districts don't get the help they need from Austin and Washington.

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“We enter 2013 knowing that Pre-K is not a panacea. But along with cafecollege, Student Aid Saturdays and other initiatives, it signals to school districts that we at City Hall will be effective partners in closing the achievement gap,” Castro wrote in the Express-News. “It tells parents we are not going to leave the educational future of our children in the hands of Austin or Washington. And it tells employers that we are committed to producing the skilled workforce necessary for them to thrive in San Antonio.”

In the city's $596 million 2012 bond program, construction has begun on a handful of projects while scores more are in the design stage, which precedes construction. The bond program, overwhelmingly approved by voters in May 2012, comprises 140 projects across San Antonio in five broad categories — streets, bridges and sidewalks; drainage and flood control; parks, recreation and open space; library, museum and cultural arts facilities; and public safety facilities.

Work has also begun on a major expansion of the city's Convention Center, which includes realigning nearby roads and expanding the center's footprint eastward. Eventually, the northwest corner of the Convention Center will be demolished to make way for an amphitheater as part of the revitalization of HemisFair Park.

Another of Castro's legacy projects — SA 2020, a broad, grassroots effort to focus on 11 key areas of improvement in the city — is in full swing. Now a stand-alone nonprofit, SA2020 is led by Darryl Byrd — first known as the CEO for Pearl Brewery LLC.

This summer the SA2020 nonprofit issued a report on the status of various goals set in 2011. The report shows that in several areas, the city isn't on track for success. In other issues, goals have already been made.

The city has either met or exceeded goals in five areas, including reducing teen pregnancy and lowering polluting emissions from vehicles.

In September, the City Council will approve the city's annual budget — a behemoth $2.3 billion spending plan that includes a general funds of almost $1 billion. The city's fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Bexar County

The Texas Constitution of 1876 made counties the state's agents for many important functions, from collecting taxes to punishing criminals. Municipalities control matters inside their city limits, but outside city limits the county provides infrastructure and law enforcement, regulates public nuisances and offers other services.

Bexar County is pressing forward with a $500 million, 10-year flood-control initiative. The county and San Antonio River Authority are wrapping up construction of the 8-mile Mission Reach of the San Antonio River, a project that was set back by May flooding. The entities also started an ecosystem restoration project along San Pedro Creek downtown.

A major challenge facing the county is population growth in unincorporated suburbs. Growth is clogging roads and stretching the law enforcement resources of the Sheriff's Office.

It in one innovative approach to serve residents, the county is tackling the lack of library services by developing the nation's first all-digital public library system. The e-book library system known as BiblioTech is slated to open in early September.